Silicon pillars for vertical transistors

ABSTRACT

In order to form a more stable silicon pillar which can be used for the formation of vertical transistors in DRAM cells, a multi-step masking process is used. In a preferred embodiment, an oxide layer and a nitride layer are used as masks to define trenches, pillars, and active areas in a substrate. Preferably, two substrate etch processes use the masks to form three levels of bulk silicon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of semiconductorfabrication and more specifically to the field of fabricating siliconpillars.

2. Background of the Invention

Since the introduction of the digital computer, electronic storagedevices have been a vital resource for the retention of data.Conventional semiconductor electronic storage devices, such as DynamicRandom Access Memory (DRAM), typically incorporate capacitor andtransistor structures in which the capacitors temporarily store databased on the charged state of the capacitor structure. In general, thistype of semiconductor Random Access Memory (RAM) often requires denselypacked capacitor structures that are easily accessible for electricalinterconnection.

DRAM circuit manufacturers increasingly face difficulties with scaling.One way of forming smaller transistors is the formation of verticaltransistors. Vertical transistors have the advantage of taking up lesssubstrate real estate. The vertical transistor can reduce thresholdvoltage variations due to electrical and geometric sensitivities to anacceptable level because the channel of the transistor can remainsufficiently long despite occupying less real estate on the substrate.The long channel of vertical transistors allows a thicker gatedielectric that can be properly scaled in proportion to the channellength. This can also provide reliability and protection againstwearout.

While the vertical transistor has benefits that can reduce the size ofDRAM cells, integration can be challenging. A silicon pillar forms partof the vertical transistor, but the pillars can often be complicated toform. Epitaxially grown pillars can be slow and costly to fabricate, andstill have reliability issues. For this reason, a new method of formingsilicon pillars for vertical transistors is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention, a method of forming pillars in asubstrate for integrate circuits is disclosed. The method comprisesforming a lower hard mask on a substrate and depositing a upper hardmask over the lower hard mask. A first resist mask is formed over theupper hard mask to form first exposed portions of the upper hard maskand the lower hard mask. The first exposed portions of the upper hardmask and the lower hard mask are removed. A second resist mask is formedover the upper hard mask to form second exposed portions of the upperhard mask after removing the first resist mask. The second exposedportions of the upper hard mask are removed to form third exposedportions of the lower hard mask. The substrate is etched selectivelyagainst the upper hard mask and the lower hard mask after removing thesecond exposed portions of the upper hard mask. The third exposedportions of the lower hard mask are removed after etching the substrate.The substrate is etched using the upper hard mask to form a plurality ofactive areas and trenches after removing the third exposed portions ofthe lower hard mask.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of forming silicon pillarsfor vertical transistors for integrated circuits is disclosed. Themethod comprises forming a first mask layer over a silicon substrate andforming a second mask layer over the first mask layer. The first masklayer is patterned to expose a first portion of the silicon substrate.The second mask layer is patterned to form an unmasked portion of thefirst mask layer after patterning the first mask layer. The methodfurther comprises etching the first exposed portion of the siliconsubstrate to a first depth and removing the unmasked portion of thefirst mask layer to expose a second portion of the silicon substrate.Finally, the first exposed portion of the substrate is etched to asecond depth and the second exposed portion is etched to a third depth.

In another aspect of the invention, a masking structure for formingpillars in a substrate is disclosed. The structure comprises a substrateand a first hard mask over the substrate. The first hard mask comprisesa plurality of parallel lines. The structure further comprises a secondhard mask directly over the first hard mask, wherein the second hardmask is a plurality of islands on the lines of the first hard mask.

A method of forming a silicon pillar is disclosed in another aspect ofthe invention. The method comprises forming an oxide layer over asilicon substrate and depositing a nitride layer over the oxide layer. Afirst portion of the nitride layer and the oxide layer are removed toexpose a plurality of trench regions in the silicon substrate and toform an oxide hard mask. A second portion of the nitride layer isremoved to form a nitride hard mask and to form unmasked portions of theoxide hard mask after removing the first portion of the oxide layer andthe nitride layer. The trench regions are etched after removing thesecond portion of the nitride layer. The unmasked portions of the oxidehard mask are removed to expose a plurality of intermediate substrateregions. The method further comprises etching the intermediate substrateregions and the trench regions after removing the unmasked portions ofthe oxide hard mask.

A method of forming a pillar in a substrate is disclosed in anotheraspect of the invention. The method comprises exposing a trench regionof a substrate and etching the trench region to a first depth. Anintermediate region of the substrate is exposed after etching the trenchregion and the intermediate region is etched to a second depth and thetrench region is etched to a third depth. The third depth is equal to asum of the first depth and the second depth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the invention will be better understood fromthe Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and from theappended drawings, which are meant to illustrate and not to limit theinvention, and wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a plan view of a structure with two mask layers over asubstrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows a schematic first cross-sectional view of the structure ofFIG. 1A, taken along lines 1B-1B.

FIG. 1C shows a schematic second cross-sectional view of the structureof FIG. 1A, taken along lines 1C-1C.

FIG. 1D is a flow chart of an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 2A-2C show three views of the structure of FIGS. 1A-1C with afirst patterned photoresist layer over the two hard mask layersaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A-3C show three views of the structure of FIGS. 2A-2C with twomask layers after etching through exposed portions of the two hard masklayers according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A-4C show three views of the structure of FIGS. 3A-3C with asecond photoresist layer over remaining portions of two hard mask layersaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5A-5C show three views the structure of FIGS. 4A-4C after etchingthrough exposed portions of the second hard mask layer, according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A-6C show three views of the structure of FIGS. 5A-5C after afirst substrate etch step according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 7A-7C show three views of the structure of FIGS. 6A-6C after thefirst mask layer has been removed according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, forming partial trenches in field isolation regions.

FIGS. 8A-8E show five views of the completed structure after a secondsubstrate etch, resulting in trench regions, active area regions, andpillar regions.

FIG. 9 is a partial isometric view of an array formed using siliconpillars such as those illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8E.

FIG. 10 is a partial isometric view of the structure of FIG. 8A-8E afterfilling trench regions and forming a word line connecting neighboringcells.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In order to more efficiently form a silicon pillar which can be used forthe formation of vertical transistors in DRAM cells, a multi-stepmasking process is used. In a preferred embodiment, an oxide layer and anitride layer are used as masks to define trenches, pillars, andintermediate areas in a silicon substrate. The skilled artisan willreadily appreciate, however, that the principles and advantages of theprocesses described herein will have application with a variety ofmaterials. Preferably, selective etch chemistries are available foretching each of the two mask materials and the substrate relative to theother two materials.

Referring now to FIG. 1D, a flow chart of a preferred embodiment, afirst or lower hard mask layer is formed 70 over bulk silicon. A secondor upper hard mask layer is then formed 72 over the lower hard masklayer. A resist layer is deposited and patterned 74 over the upper hardmask layer to form a first resist mask. The exposed portions of thelower and upper hard mask layers are removed 76 and the resist layer isremoved 78. The removal of the exposed portions of the lower hard masklayer and the upper hard mask layer exposes corresponding portions ofthe substrate that will form the trench regions. Preferably, the trenchsubstrate regions, the lower hard mask, and the upper hard mask arearranged in parallel lines.

A second resist layer is deposited and patterned 80 to form a secondresist mask. In a preferred embodiment, the second resist mask is formedsubstantially perpendicular to the trench substrate regions and theportions of the remaining lower and upper hard masks. The exposedportions of the upper hard mask are removed 82, and the second resistmask can be removed. The trench substrate regions, which were exposed inthe pattern of the first resist mask, are then etched 84. As will bebetter understood from the detailed description below, this step can beconsidered a partial trench etch, due to a later extension etch. Theexposed portions of the lower hard mask are then removed 86 to exposeportions of the substrate that will form the intermediate area regions.The intermediate regions have a height that is taller than the trenchesbut shorter than the pillars. Preferably, the intermediate regions areused as active areas, bit lines, or for other IC design requirements.

The partially etched trench remains exposed. The substrate is thenetched 88 a second time. The second etch process will etch both thetrench substrate regions, which were previously etched, and theintermediate area substrate regions. The trenches are etched to theirfinal depth, and the intermediate area substrate regions are etched to adepth approximately half of the final trench depth. Pillars are therebyformed from the substrate material. The two hard masks will remain overthe pillars. The hard masks can be removed or can remain to serve asprotective layer for the pillars during subsequent processing.

In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is a semiconductor, morepreferably bulk silicon. Preferably, the lower hard mask is an oxide,more preferably silicon oxide. The upper hard mask is preferably anitride, more preferably silicon nitride. When the upper hard mask issilicon nitride, the upper hard mask preferably serves as a cap forsubsequent processing.

Formation of Two Masking Layers

FIG. 1A is a top down view at a representative portion of the substrateand shows a surface with a uniform material. FIGS. 1B and 1C showcross-sections of the substrate 10 with a layer of lower hard maskmaterial 20 and a layer of upper hard mask material 30. In a preferredembodiment, the substrate 10 is bulk silicon. Preferably the lower hardmask layer 20 is an oxide layer deposited directly over the substrate10. In a preferred embodiment, the oxide is a substantially undopedoxide deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), spin-on deposition,or other deposition methods. The oxide can also be thermally grown overthe surface of the substrate. In a preferred embodiment the lower hardmask material 20 has a thickness of between about 30 nm and 100 nm, morepreferably between about 50 nm and 80 nm.

In a preferred embodiment, the upper hard mask material 30 is a nitridelayer deposited directly over the lower hard mask material 20; morepreferably, the upper hard mask material 30 is a silicon nitride layer.The upper hard mask layer 30 is preferably deposited by CVD or a similardeposition process. In addition to its use as a hard mask, the upperhard mask material 30 can be used to protect the silicon pillar beingformed from subsequent processing steps. In a preferred embodiment, theupper hard mask layer 30 has a thickness of between about 50 nm and 150nm, more preferably between about 80 nm and 120 nm.

After the deposition of the two hard mask layers, a first resist mask 40is formed over the upper hard mask layer 30. The first resist mask 40 isseen in FIGS. 2A-2B. In the illustrated embodiment, a photoresist layer40 is deposited over the upper hard mask 30, although the skilledartisan will readily appreciate that the mask pattern can be transferredto intervening hard mask materials. The photoresist 40 can then beselectively exposed and developed to form a first resist mask 40 using,e.g., standard photoresist developing techniques. The first resist mask40 can vary in shape and size. The size of the pillar is substantiallyaffected by the wavelength of the photoresist that is being used.Exemplary wavelengths include 248 nm and 193 nm. Advanced micro-maskingphotolithography techniques, such as phase-shift masks, resist shrinkingor growth, and use of spacers, can be used for sub-wavelengthlithography.

In a preferred embodiment, this first resist mask 40 forms a series ofparallel lines over the surface of the upper hard mask layer 30. Afterdeveloping, the first resist mask 40 can be used as a mask for an etchprocess that removes the unmasked portions 42 of the upper hard mask 30.

FIGS. 3A-3C show the substrate after the removal of the unmaskedportions 42 (FIG. 2B) of the lower hard mask 20 and the upper hard mask30. The unmasked portions of the lower hard mask 20 can either beremoved at the same time as the upper hard mask 30 or in a separate etchstep. Preferably, an anisotropic dry etch is used in order to ensurefaithful pattern transfer from the photoresist 40 to the upper hard mask30 and the lower hard mask 20. In a preferred embodiment, a flourinebased plasma is used in the dry etch process when the upper mask layer30 is silicon nitride and the lower hard mask layer 20 is silicon oxide.Skilled practitioners will appreciate that there are several methods ofetching the unmasked portions 42 (FIG. 2B) of the upper hard mask 30 andthe lower hard mask 20 selectively to the substrate 10. The removal ofthe unexposed portions 42 of the upper hard mask 30 and the lower hardmask 20 expose trench regions 43 of the substrate 10 that willeventually be etched to form rows of isolation trenches betweentransistor columns.

After the first photoresist layer 40 is removed, a second resist mask 45is formed over the upper hard mask 30. This is illustrated in FIGS.4A-4C. In a preferred embodiment, the second resist mask 45 formscolumns substantially perpendicular to the rows of trench regions 43 andthe remaining lower and upper hard mask layers 20 and 30. This allowsfor the formation of pillars with substantially rectangular footprintsover the substrate. Other shapes are also possible using differingshapes of the first and second resist masks 40 (FIG. 2B) and 45. FIG. 4Bshows the second resist mask 45 over the upper hard mask 30. FIG. 4Cshows a different cross-section of the substrate, where the resist mask45 is seen over the trench regions 43 and the remaining lower and upperhard masks 20 and 30. The unmasked portions 47 of the upper hard mask 30and the lower hard mask 20 can eventually form intermediate areas in thesubstrate 10.

FIGS. 5A-5C show the substrate after removing the unmasked portions 47(FIG. 4B) of the upper hard mask 30 selective to the lower hard mask 20and the substrate 10. FIG. 5B shows a first cross-section of thesubstrate that illustrates the trench regions 43 of the substrate 10.Several stacks of the upper hard mask 30 and the lower hard mask 20 arevisible; these stacks are over the substrate regions that willeventually form the silicon pillars. FIG. 5C shows a perpendicularcross-section with the lower hard mask 20 extending in rows over thesubstrate 30. The upper hard mask 30 can be seen over portions of thelower hard mask 20. The second resist mask 45 is preferably removedafter etching the upper hard mask 30.

The pillar, trench, and intermediate regions can be seen in FIG. 5A. Theupper hard mask 30 and the lower hard mask layer 20 are over the regionsthat will form the pillars. In a preferred embodiment, the regions withthe lower hard mask 20 exposed form the intermediate regions. Theseregions, which are preferably at an intermediate height, taller than thetrenches but shorter than the pillars, can also be used as bit lines.Preferably, there are no hard mask layers over the trench regions 43. Ina preferred embodiment, a chlorine based plasma is used in the dry etchprocess when the upper mask layer 30 is silicon nitride and the lowerhard mask layer 20 is silicon oxide and the substrate 10 is silicon.Skilled practitioners will appreciate that there are several methods toetch preferred materials for the upper hard mask 30 selectively againstpreferred materials for the lower hard mask 20 and the substrate 10.

First Substrate Etch

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate the product of a first substrate etch. In apreferred embodiment, the etch process etches the substrate material 10but is selective against the upper hard mask 30 and the lower hard mask20. Preferably the first substrate etch process removes between about250 nm and 450 nm, more preferably between about 300 mm and 400 nm. Thelower hard mask 20 acts as a hard mask for the first substrate etch, soonly the trench regions 43 (FIG. 5A) will be etched to form anintermediate trench 50. FIG. 6B shows the pillar regions 65 with theupper hard mask 30 and the lower hard mask 20 stacks over the substrate10. FIG. 6C is identical to FIG. 5C because the lower hard mask 20 actsas a mask to the substrate etch, such that substrate 10 is not etched inregions under the lines of the lower hard mask 20. In a preferredembodiment, a chlorine based plasma is used in the dry etch process whenthe upper mask layer 30 is silicon nitride and the lower hard mask layer20 is silicon oxide and the substrate 10 is silicon. Skilledpractitioners will appreciate that several methods can be used to etchthe substrate.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate the removal of the portions of the lower hardmask 20 not covered by the upper hard mask 30. This will expose theintermediate regions 52 of the substrate 10. While these regions 52 arepreferably used as active areas, the skilled practitioner willappreciate that the active areas could also be formed on the pillars 65.Additionally, the intermediate regions 52 could also be used for otherpurposes, such as a bit line. At this point, only the pillar regions 65(FIG. 7B) are covered by the lower hard mask 20 and the upper hard mask30. At this stage of the process, the lower and upper hard masks 20 and30 are now unconnected islands. The cross-section of FIG. 7B appearsidentical to FIG. 6B because at that cross-section there is no exposedlower hard mask 20 to be removed at this stage; the lower hard mask 20is all masked by the upper hard mask 30. FIG. 7C illustrates across-section which shows substrate 10 regions 52 that will become theintermediate regions, which are now exposed, and the regions 65 thatwill become the pillars, which are capped by the oxide 20 and nitride 30stack.

Second Substrate Etch

FIGS. 8A-8E illustrate the product of a second substrate etch and thecompletion of the formation of the silicon pillars. Preferably thesecond substrate etch process removes between about 200 nm and 400 nm,more preferably between about 250 nm and 350 nm of the substrate 10.After the second substrate etch is complete, the trench regions 55 willbe etched to a depth between about 450 nm and 850 nm below the pillarregions 65, more preferably between about 550 nm and 750 nm. The secondsubstrate etch process is selective to the upper hard mask 30 and thelower hard mask 20. Similarly to the first substrate etch step, achlorine-based plasma etch process can be used in the second substrateetch step. Skilled practitioners will appreciate that several methodscan be used to etch the substrate selectively against the nitride mask.

FIG. 8A shows a plan view illustrating the three regions. The trenches55 have been etched to their final depth, and the intermediate regions60 have been etched. The trenches 55 have been exposed to both etchsteps. The intermediate regions 60 have been exposed to one etch step.The upper hard mask 30 and the lower hard mask 20 remain over thepillars 65. Thus, the pillars 65 have not been exposed to either etchstep.

The upper hard mask 30 and the lower hard mask 20 can be seen over thepillars 65 in FIG. 8B, a cross-sectional view. In FIG. 8C, the pillars65 and the two hard masks 20 and 30 can be seen next to the intermediateregions 60, which are formed in rows within shallow trenches betweenpillars 65. The rows are elevated relative to the deeper trenches 55, asbest seen from FIG. 8D. In FIG. 8D, a trench 55 can be seen incross-section. The pillars 65, intermediate regions 60, and two hardmasks 20 and 30 can be seen in relief behind the trench 55. In FIG. 8E,the intermediate regions 60 can be seen beside the trenches 55. Thepillars 65 and the hard masks 20 and 30 can be seen in relief behind theintermediate regions 60.

Structure

As seen in FIG. 8A, there will be three (3) levels of silicon substrateafter the second substrate etch. The deepest level will be the trenchregion 55, as it will have been exposed to two substrate etch steps. Theintermediate regions 60 will have been masked by the lower hard mask 20during the first substrate etch step. The silicon pillars 65 will havenot been exposed to either etch step and will still be capped by theoxide 20 and nitride 30 stack.

In a preferred embodiment, the second substrate etch step etches thesubstrate to an approximately equal depth as the depth of the firstsubstrate etch. In FIG. 8B, the silicon pillars 65 are shown incross-section next to the trenches 55. The silicon pillars are stillcapped by the oxide 20 and nitride 30 stack, and therefore have not beenexposed to either substrate etch. In another cross-section shown in FIG.8C, the silicon pillars 65 are next to the intermediate regions 60,which have been exposed to one substrate etch step. FIG. 8D is a crosssection from within a trench region 55. The other regions appear insurface shading behind the trench substrate region 55. A layer ofsubstrate material which forms the intermediate regions 60 and thesilicon pillars 65 is seen over the trench region. The pillar region 65is capped by the oxide 20 and nitride 30 stack. In the illustratedembodiment, measured from the floor of the trench region 55, the pillarregion 65 is approximately twice as tall as the intermediate regions 60.This can also be seen from FIG. 8E which shows a cross-section throughthe intermediate regions 60 and the trench regions 55. The siliconpillars 65, which can be seen behind the intermediate regions 60, areapproximately twice as tall as the intermediate regions 60.

In a preferred embodiment, the intermediate, or “active area” regions60, are used to form the active area for a transistor. However, the“active area” regions 60 may also be used for other purposes, such asforming a bit line, as seen in FIG. 9. A skilled artisan can appreciatethat the structure formed by the process illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 can beused to form several types of structures through subsequent processing.

In FIG. 9, an exemplary memory array using silicon pillars, such asthose created by the process described above, is illustrated.Transistors formed using silicon pillars are described in U.S. Pat. No.6,492,233 which was issued to Forbes, et al, on Dec. 10, 2002. Thedisclosure of the Forbes patent is incorporated by reference herein.FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating generally one embodiment of aportion of a memory according to the present invention. FIG. 9illustrates portions of six memory cells 112 a-f including portions ofvertically oriented access FETs 130 therein. Conductive segments of bitlines 202 represent particular ones of bit lines in the array.Conductive segments of word line 206 represents any one of the wordlines in the array, which provide integrally formed gate regions foraccess FETs 130 between which the particular word line 206 isinterposed. Conductive segments of body line 208 represents any one ofbody lines in the array, which provide interconnected electrical bodycontacts to body regions of access FETs 130 between which the particularbody line 208 is interposed. Thus, the word lines, e.g. word line 206,and the body lines, e.g. body line 208, are alternatingly disposed(interdigitated) within the array 110. The detailed description below ofthe memory cell 112 refers only to memory cells 112 a-f, the bit lines202, the word line 206 and the body line 208 that are associated withmemory cells 112 a-f. However, the following description similarlyapplies to all memory cells 112 and similar conductive lines in a largerarray.

In FIG. 9, vertically oriented access FETs 130 are formed insemiconductor pillars that extend outwardly from an underlying substrate210. As described below, the substrate 210 can be bulk semiconductorstarting material, semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) starting material,or SOI material that is formed from a bulk semiconductor startingmaterial during processing.

In one example embodiment, using bulk silicon processing techniques,access FETs 130 includes first source/drain regions 212 of the accessFETs 130 formed on the bulk silicon substrate 210 and integrally formedn++conductively doped bit lines 202. The bit lines 202 define aparticular row of memory cells 112. A body region 214 of access FET 130is formed on the n+ first source/drain region 212. Inversion channelsmay be capacitively generated at the sidewalls of the body region 214 ofthe semiconductor pillar under the control of word line 206. The wordline 206 includes the gate region of adjacent access FETs 130. A secondsource/drain region 216 of access FET 130 is formed on p-body region214. Storage capacitors 132 are formed on the second/source drainregions 216. In a preferred embodiment of the formation of thesetransistors, the substrate is grown epitaxially before the processingsteps of FIGS. 1-8. However, transistors can also be formed from siliconpillars formed from a bulk silicon substrate. Additionally, while dopingsteps are not specifically described, a skilled artisan will understandthe doping processes of these silicon materials.

Word lines 206 and body lines 208 are alternatingly disposed(interdigitated) within the array. For example, one of the word lines206 is interposed between each semiconductor pillar of memory cell pairs112 a-b and 112 d-e. Body line 208 is interposed between semiconductorpillars of memory cell pairs 112 b-c and 112 e-f. Thus, as seen fromFIG. 9, access FETs 130 are formed on bit lines 202 in semiconductorpillars extending outwardly from substrate 210. Such semiconductorpillars include body regions 214, and first and second source drainregions 212 and 216, respectively. In this embodiment, the bit lines 202contact the bulk semiconductor substrate 210, and the body lines 208contact body regions 214 of adjacent access FETs 130.

The memory of FIG. 9 is merely an exemplary embodiment of transistorsformed using silicon pillars. The silicon pillars can be used to formseveral different types of vertical transistors. In a preferredembodiment seen in FIG. 10, the trenches 55 are filled with aninsulating material 70, preferably an oxide. The insulating material 70is recessed to a height approximately equal to the height of the activeareas 60. The pillar 65 is preferably oxidized to form a gate dielectricfor the vertical transistor. Word lines 75 are preferably formedperpendicularly to the insulating material 70. The word lines surroundthe pillars 65 and connect a row of vertical transistors formed in thearray 100. Although only one word line 75 is shown in FIG. 10,preferably there will be a plurality of parallel word lines in the array100. The skilled artisan will appreciate that silicon pillars have awide variety of uses in semiconductor fabrication, especially withrespect to transistor formation.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that the principles and advantages haveapplication for etching materials at other stages of integrated circuitfabrication. Materials selected for the substrate 10, the lower hardmask 20, and the upper hard mask 30 can be varied for other uses.Particularly, the principles described herein will improve the etchingprocess when a structure needs to be etched to varying depths indifferent regions. The pillars 65 can be useful in other contexts suchas memory cell capacitors, in trenches for hybrid shallow trenchisolation (STI) and LOCal Oxidation of Silicon (LOCOS) isolationschemes, and for many other purposes.

CONCLUSION

Although the foregoing invention has been described in terms of apreferred embodiment, other embodiments will become apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art, in view of the disclosure herein.Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited by therecitation of preferred embodiments, but is instead intended to bedefined solely by reference to the appended claims.

1. A method of forming pillars in a substrate for integrated circuitscomprising forming a lower hard mask on a substrate; forming an upperhard mask over the lower hard mask; forming a first resist mask over theupper hard mask to form first exposed portions of the upper hard maskand the lower hard mask; removing the first exposed portions of theupper hard mask and the lower hard mask; forming a second resist maskover the upper hard mask to form second exposed portions of the upperhard mask after removing the first resist mask; removing the secondexposed portions of the upper hard mask to form a third exposed portionof the lower hard mask; etching the substrate selectively to the upperhard mask and the third exposed portions of the lower hard mask afterremoving the second exposed portions of the upper hard mask; removingthe third exposed portions of the lower hard mask after etching thesubstrate; and etching the substrate using the upper hard mask to form aplurality of active areas and trenches after removing the third exposedportion of the lower hard mask.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising removing the first resist mask after removing the firstexposed portions.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising removingthe second resist mask after removing the second exposed portion of theupper hard mask.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the lowerhard mask on the substrate comprises forming an oxide layer on bulksilicon.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein forming the oxide layercomprises thermally growing the oxide layer.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein forming the oxide layer comprises depositing the oxide layer. 7.The method of claim 6, wherein depositing the oxide layer comprisesusing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process.
 8. The method of claim6, wherein depositing the oxide layer comprises using a spin-ondeposition (SOD) process.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein forming theupper hard mask comprises depositing a nitride layer.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein depositing the nitride layer comprises using a chemicalvapor deposition (CVD) process.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinforming the first resist mask comprises patterning a photoresist layer.12. The method of claim 11, wherein patterning the first photoresistlayer comprises using a 193 nm photoresist.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein patterning the first photoresist layer comprises using a 248 nmphotoresist.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the secondresist mask comprises patterning a photoresist layer.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein patterning the first photoresist layer comprises usinga 193 nm photoresist.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein patterning thefirst photoresist layer comprises using a 248 nm photoresist.
 17. Themethod of claim 1, wherein forming a second resist mask comprisesforming the second mask substantially perpendicular to a remainingportion of the upper hard mask.
 18. A method of forming silicon pillarsfor vertical transistors for integrated circuits comprising; forming afirst mask layer over a silicon substrate; forming a second mask layerover the first mask layer; patterning the first mask layer to expose afirst portion of the silicon substrate; patterning the second mask layerto form an unmasked portion of the first mask layer after patterning thefirst mask layer; etching the first exposed portion of the siliconsubstrate to a first depth; removing the unmasked portion of the firstmask layer to expose a second portion of the silicon substrate; andetching the first exposed portion to a second depth and the secondexposed portion to a third depth.
 19. The method of claim 18, whereindepositing a first mask layer over a silicon substrate comprises formingan oxide layer over bulk silicon.
 20. The method of claim 19, whereinforming the oxide comprises thermally growing the oxide layer over thebulk silicon.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein forming a second masklayer comprises depositing a nitride layer.
 22. The method of claim 18,wherein exposing a first portion of the silicon substrate comprisesdefining a trench region.
 23. The method of claim 18, wherein exposing asecond portion of the silicon substrate comprises defining an activearea region.
 24. The method of claim 18, wherein patterning the firstmask layer comprises forming a pattern of parallel lines.
 25. The methodof claim 24, wherein etching the first exposed portion comprises etchingthe pattern of parallel lines.
 26. The method of claim 25, whereinpatterning the second mask layer comprises forming a plurality ofrectangles.
 27. The method of claim 18, wherein etching the secondexposed portion to the third depth comprises etching the second exposedportion to the first depth.
 28. The method of claim 18, wherein etchingthe second exposed portion to the third depth comprises etching thesecond exposed portion to the first depth.
 29. The method of claim 18,wherein etching the first exposed portion to the first depth comprisesetching the first exposed portion to a depth of between about 250 nm and450 nm.
 30. The method of claim 18, wherein etching the second exposedportion to the second depth comprises etching the second exposed portionto a depth of between about 200 nm and 400 nm.
 31. The method of claim18, wherein etching the first exposed portion to the third depthcomprises etching the second exposed portion to a depth of between about450 nm and 850 nm.
 32. A masking structure for forming pillars in asubstrate, comprising a substrate; a first hard mask over the substrate,wherein the first hard mask comprises a plurality of parallel lines; anda second hard mask directly over a portion of the first hard mask,wherein the second hard mask is a plurality of islands on the lines ofthe first hard mask.
 33. The structure of claim 32, wherein thesubstrate is bulk silicon.
 34. The structure of claim 32, wherein thefirst hardmask comprises silicon oxide.
 35. The structure of claim 34,wherein a thickness of the silicon oxide is between about 30 nm and 100nm.
 36. The structure of claim 32, wherein the second hardmask comprisesa nitride.
 37. The structure of claim 36, wherein the nitride comprisessilicon nitride.
 38. The structure of claim 37, wherein a thickness ofthe silicon nitride is between about 50 nm and 150 nm.
 39. A method offorming a silicon pillar, comprising: forming an oxide layer over asilicon substrate; depositing a nitride layer over the oxide layer;removing a first portion of the nitride layer and the oxide layer toexpose a plurality of trench regions in the silicon substrate and toform an oxide hard mask; removing a second portion of the nitride layerto form a nitride hard mask and to form unmasked portions of the oxidehard mask after removing the first portion of the oxide layer and thenitride layer; etching the trench regions after removing the secondportion of the nitride layer; removing the unmasked portions of theoxide hard mask to expose a plurality of intermediate substrate regions;and etching the intermediate substrate regions and the trench regions.40. The method of claim 39, further comprising removing the nitride hardmask.
 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising removing the oxidehard mask.
 42. The method of claim 39, wherein removing the firstportion of the nitride layer and the oxide layer comprises: depositing aphotoresist layer over the nitride layer; patterning the photoresistlayer; developing the photoresist layer to form a first photoresist maskafter patterning the photoresist layer to form exposed portions of thenitride layer and oxide layer; and removing the exposed portions of thenitride layer and the oxide layer.
 43. A method of forming a pillar in asubstrate, comprising: exposing a trench region of a substrate; etchingthe trench region to a first depth; exposing an intermediate region ofthe substrate after etching the trench region; and etching theintermediate region to a second depth and the trench region to a thirddepth, wherein the third depth is equal to a sum of the first depth andthe second depth.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein exposing a trenchregion comprises: forming a first hard mask layer over the substrate;forming a second hard mask layer over the first hard mask; forming afirst photoresist mask over the second hard mask layer to form firstunmasked portions of the first hard mask and the second hard mask; andremoving the unmasked portions of the first hard mask and the secondhard mask.
 45. The method of claim 43, wherein exposing an intermediateregion of the substrate comprises: forming a second photoresist maskover the second hard mask layer to form second unmasked portions of thefirst hard mask and the second hard mask; removing the second unmaskedportions of the second hard mask; and removing the second unmaskedportions of the first hard mask after removing the second unmaskedportions of the second hard mask.